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Launched in June, the ConsensusDOCS 301 BIM Addendum defines the roles and risks of building information modeling contracts, write attorneys Richard H. Lowe
and Jason M. Muncey in Constructor. They also note that the addendum preserves the separation between design and construction. "The contractor is still responsible for the means and methods of construction, and the design professional is still responsible for design," they write.

Related Summaries

BIM, which allows for iterative design, is helping architects create more sustainable buildings best-suited for the climates they're in. BIM lets users capture and display data "through visualization tools that can help to consider factors such as temperature, humidity, wind conditions, and sky conditions in a design," said Marius Esterhuyze, an accounts manager at Autodesk.

Both "level of detail" and "level of development" play a role in implementing building information modeling. The challenge for engineers and contractors is to decipher the difference, contends John Scannell, a senior mechanical designer at Gresham, Smith & Partners. "Level of detail" relates to the amount of detail and "level of development" measures the quality of a model, he explains. A clear definition of each helps designers better meet clients' expectations, Scannell asserts.

A 2014 Smart market report from McGraw-Hill finds that U.S. contractors may be more adept in BIM implementation, but Australia leads when it comes to experiencing a positive return on investment. Architect Rod Perey and interior designer Ceilidh Higgins, both of Sydney, say they saw a 30% savings in labor when working in 3D as compared with 2D. "The aim is to look beyond the issues of where we should be on the BIM journey and focus efforts on what savings we can achieve individually and generate these discussions at the initial stages of design," David Mitchell writes.

A panel of experts weigh in on what they think about Graphisoft BIMx, Bentley Systems Passport and Autodesk BIM 360 Field/BIM 360 Glue. Tyler Goss, director of construction solutions for Case Design, says the Autodesk building information modeling tools "are more about the workflow of design," while the Bentley and Graphisoft applications center around "document control and management in the field."

The Associated General Contractors of America has approved adding a building information modeling addendum to its ConsensusDOCS catalog. The addendum is said to be the first document to address the legal concerns that have been an obstacle in embracing building information modeling.